Incorporated City-States of Brengstklau
The Incorporated City-States of Brengstklau is a one-hundred-forty-day old alliance situated on the brown team which was founded by 2Burnt2eat. ICB is holds a Mutual Defense Pact with the Global Democratic Alliance, and is a signatory of the Terra-Cotta Pact. On September 14th, a brief war with Union of Communist Republics broke out, which ended the following day. History Brengstklau came into existence on June 3rd, 2009, and it's existence was proudly declared the following day by Emperor 2Burnt2eat on the CNAP here. Shortly after, GDA publicly announced it's protectorate agreement with Brengstklau here. Brengstklau grew at a steady pace, and kept to itself for the first few months after existence. Soon after, Brengstklau caught the eye of a number of brown alliances, who have always been there for us since whenever we needed anything, just like our benefactor in GDA. Somewhere during this time period, Brengstklau picked up a few good members from a now defunct alliance called Old Atlantic Charter, who was disbanding due to their leader leaving the game. The most notable member from OAC is Nick Bar, who currently serves as the Minister of Defense. Brengstklau focused it's economic and diplomatic outreach largely on other brown alliances during this time, although they still kept contact with their protector, Global Democratic Alliance. Eventually as time went on, Brengstklau was offered to join Terra-Cotta. After discussions with Global Democratic Alliance, and communication between Brengstklen government, it was decided that Global Democratic Alliance would upgrade their Protectorate Agreement to a Mutual Defense Pact, and Brengstklau would join Terra-Cotta. Before the announcements were made, a brief war sprang up with the Union of Communist Republics. After UCR government decided to continuously attack and provoke Brengstklau in words and in actions, Brengstklau finally recognized a state of war with UCR on the 14th. After this, UCR government headed by Premier Slonq finally became serious with peace talks, and peace was declared the following day. Although Brengstklau did not have a sufficient amount of time to fulfill it's operational plans, it fulfilled it's operational goal of getting peace, ahead of schedule. After the conclusion of the war, the GDA-ICB MDP was announced, and in addition the ICB admittance into Terra-Cotta. Brengstklau grew at a rapid pace after the war, and continues to spread it's diplomatic outreach to other alliances, barring a few that gave erroneous hostility and threats to ICB, despite having no involvement. Today, Brengstklau continues it's internal growth, although it has been shedding much dead-weight as of late. Brengstklau looks forward to a bright future. Charter The Charter of Brengstklau Preamble: As the Emperor, Sole Proprietor, Founder, and only acting Government member of the 3rd of June, 2009, I hereby set forth this charter for the Incorporated City-States of Brengstklau (ICB). This charter shall be the basis and foundation from which all Membership shall govern from and abide to -- from Acceptance, to Resignation. I.Membership A. Admission For an applicant to be accepted into the Incorporated City-States of Brengstklau, they must: *Register on ICB's off-site forums *Change their in-game Alliance Affiliation to “Brengstklau” *Fill out the requested application form(s) on the Brengstklen forums *Not be on any alliance's target list(s) *Not be in a state of war with an aligned nation B. Expulsion Any member of the alliance (aside from Emperor and Regent) may be expelled provided there are valid charges and/or incriminating evidence against him. Expulsion notions can only be called for if the member: *Violated the Charter *Acted in insubordination *Acted in treason *Compromised the alliance's security *Kept vital or important information hidden from the Government *Has a history of unjustifiably insulting ICB or Brengstklen Members A notion to expel a regular Member may only be put into process by a Brengstklen Government Member. The Membership may request the Minister of Interior Affairs to start an expulsion notion, but he is in no way obligated to fulfill any such requests. A vote for Expulsion may pass if: An unanimous vote in favor of expulsion occurs in the Brengstklen House of Representatives A majority vote of the House in favor of expulsion occurs with a signature of approval by the Emperor A passed expulsion notion may be vetoed by the Emperor if it is against an acting Government Member. The House may with majority then call for a new vote, which is voted on by all members of Brengstklau; not just the House. The Emperor may not veto an expulsion order voted on and passed by the membership by seventy-five percent. II.Doctrine Brengstklau shall always consider itself a sovereign nation. We reject all such notions of “alliance” just by the word's definition. As a nation, Brengstklau shall always promote Nationalism, Federalism, and the view of Brengstklau being the nation, protector, and embodiment of their membership; the incorporated city-states. A. Nationalism Brengstklau shall promote Nationalism defined only as strong support, devotion, loyalty, and patriotism to the nation and a belief that the nation's interests comes before any international interests. B. Federalism Brengstklau shall promote Federalism defined only as advocation of a strong central government with several subordinate units. C. City-States and the Nation All members of the alliance cannot consider themselves nations, especially based on the limitations of the game on just one individual. Thus, they must consider themselves as Incorporated City-States, not sovereign entities. ICB shall be the nation, not a loose collection of many. Note: Alliances and nations are still referred to in the normal sense of the game throughout this charter except here for simplicity. III.Policies, Regulations, and Laws A. War Policies The ICB takes seriously its commitment to defend all members from attack. Any attack on any member is considered an attack on all members. All treaties will be honored to the word. Only if the ICB holds conflicting treaties will they remain neutral. Brengstklau supports the development of nuclear weapons for defensive purposes, and sanctioned first strikes. Any member being attacked by an aligned nation will have the aligned nation's alliance notified and the problem attempted to be diplomatically resolved. If diplomacy fails, retaliatory strikes may be commissioned by the Minister of Defense with Emperor's approval. B. Raiding Policy Brengstklau allows its members to raid only if: *The nation is not on brown *The nation is unaligned *The nation has not been aided by another ICB Member If the raid goes wrong and/or the defending nation decides to fight back, Brengstklau, as a whole, reserves the right to get involved on a case-by-case basis. C. Permanent Laws The following laws are permanent, and may never be removed: *Martial Law – The Emperor is given unrestricted control of the alliance, although elections of Representatives still occur. The Emperor may decree Martial Law only by majority acceptance of the House. The Emperor needs no approval to end Martial Law. Martial Law will be reviewed every two months (if it does extend beyond two months) by the House of Representatives, who will then give vote to extend martial law, or discontinue it. *Critical Membership Act – If an alliance is below fifty (50) members, the Emperor has the power to deactivate parts of the Charter to reduce unnecessary bureaucracy for a small amount of members. Unnecessary Bureaucracies will only hinder and entangle the alliance in such a small stage. *Founder's Right – The Founder of the alliance may make revisions, amendments, or additions to any part of the Charter during the first year after being founded with majority House approval. This law removes the chance of the alliance becoming permanently ruined if the Founder overlooked a problem that may of developed later on. If the Founder ever wishes to exercise this right again outside the first year, unanimous vote of the House with Emperor's approval is required. IV.Government A. The Emperor The Emperor is the head of the alliance. He has the power to: *Declare war in regard to treaties *Declare peace and peace terms *Appoint or remove the Regent and Ministers of the Board *Set the alliance and government's stances on issues such as diplomacy and war *Veto or sign legislation into law *Sign or break treaties *Supervise alliance affairs and their ministries The Emperor's powers are limited by the House of Representatives, as he is accountable to the elected officials of the Membership. B. The Regency The Regent is selected to become Emperor once the former Emperor steps down in one form or another. During his term as Regent, his duties include: *Standing in for the Emperor in emergencies involving a head of state when the actual leader is not available *Acting as liaison to the House of Representatives for the Emperor *Advising the Emperor *Giving orders to subordinates including Ministers *Supervision of alliance affairs as second in command For the Regency to stand in for the Emperor, the Emperor must have given written consent or have been at least inactive for one week. The Regent may officially replace the Emperor if there is no contact with him in a period of one month. Otherwise, consent is necessary for official replacement. To become a Regent, the Emperor must first nominate a member. This member must then be accepted by majority approval of the House. If the nominee is rejected, nominations continue until the House approves a member. Acting outside the Emperor's wishes along with contradictions or violations of the charter will result in removal of the Regent. His removal may be overrode be an unanimous vote by the House. C. The Administrative Board All Ministers are appointed by the Emperor. Their terms are indefinite until removed by the Emperor, or evicted by the House of Representatives for crimes such as treason, conspiracy, fraud, or incompetency. As such, the Ministers are accountable to the alliance executive, and the representatives of the people. These Ministers are under direct authority of the Emperor. The removal procedures are explained in Article VI-B. All Ministers' and Ministries' organizations, policies, actions, etc. must be in line with Emperor and Charter and may not impede or cross over into jurisdictions of other ministries. The Minister of Interior Affairs (MoIA) The MoIA heads the Federal Ministry of Interior Affairs. He creates organization to keep internal alliance affairs running smoothly and efficiently. It is also his responsibility to remove or update the opposite: inefficient and poorly run organization. It is also his duty to make members feel home and welcome in the alliance. The MoIA's duties include: *Maintaining the history and records of the alliance *Alliance activity *Inter-alliance tech trading *Alliance banking *Alliance media *Forming decisions on legislation and notions that require his approval *Keeping members informed about events and operations that involve Brengstklau The Minister of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) The MoFA heads the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He provides leadership and guidance for his jurisdiction; inter-alliance diplomacy. All contact, messages, etc. with other alliances must be accurate, correct, and acceptable to the Emperor. The MoFA's duties include: *Heading diplomacy with all alliances in contact *Training and management of diplomats *Maintaining embassies *Drafting treaties *Submission of treaties to be activated or canceled *Production of good or bad foreign relations *Negotiation of alliance-sentenced terms placed on applicants The Minister of Defense (MoD) The MoD heads the Federal Ministry of Defense. He is tasked with the organization, development, and assessment of the military arm of the alliance. Such organizations and any created bureaucracies must be run smoothly and efficiently. The MoD's duties include: *Defense of the Membership *Ranking of the Membership *Maintaining coherent military units *Creation of military campaigns *Leading membership in the event of an alliance war *Assessment and Development of war skills among the membership *Supervision of raiding (members attacking or being attacked) The Minister of Recruitment (MoR) The MoR heads the Federal Ministry of Recruitment. It is his duty to organize recruitment drives and activity in this area. He acts as the border guard to all unwanted and undesirable applicants that may harm the alliance more than develop it with their membership. The MoR duties include: *Recruitment for the alliance *Education of new recruits *Awards for Recruitment *Activity in the area of Recruitment *Approval or Rejection of applicants after the creation of their off-site forum application(s) *Running background checks on questionable applicants D. The Federal Ministries All ministries are headed by their respective ministers, no other. The ministers may appoint all deputies and positions in their ministries, yet Emperor retains the right to remove such deputies or positions. The Ministries organization is not defined in this charter as it is liable to change in organization and structure from government administration to administration. But, the Ministry's basis and framework must be the Charter. The Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs is tasked with all inter-alliance diplomacy including the drafting and revision of treaties, forwarding of plausible treaties for signing to the Emperor, and inter-alliance and public relations. The Federal Ministry of Recruitment is tasked with generating applicants, educating applicants, recruitment activity and rewards, approval or rejection of applicants, and applicant background checks. The Federal Ministry of Defense is tasked with all military affairs, including raids, rogues, alliance wars, and military organization. The Federal Ministry of Interior Affairs is tasked with all affairs not mentioned in the other ministries' jurisdictions. These duties include alliance and forum activity, banking, history, and records. This ministry includes the sub-ministries and sub-ministers of Banking, Trade, and Media. E. The House of Representatives (HoR) The House of Representatives is the General Membership's official elected representation in Government. Representatives can create and pass legislation that does not compromise or violate the Charter along with the alliance's current legislation. Vetoes to legislation can be made by the Emperor. If Vetoed, the House may still try to force it through by appealing to the General Membership and having the General Membership pass it through by majority. Legislation processes along with its creation and removal are covered in Article V. At all times there shall be three Representatives of the House. A Representative is added to the House for every additional hundred members, the first addition taking place at two-hundred members. Removal of Representatives are explained in Article VI-B. F. Filling Vacancies In the result of a temporary or indefinite vacancy in the Administrative Board a replacement will be appointed by the Emperor. The outgoing position holder may recommend an Alliance Member to hold the position temporarily or indefinitely. Vacancies in ministries below minister status will be filled by the order of succession unique to their respective ministries or by appointments made by the executive of that ministry. In the result of a conviction, resignation, etc. creating a vacancy in the House of Representatives, the position will remain empty until the next representative term. A Representative may not appoint a successor under any circumstances. V.Legislation A. Creating Legislation Any Representative or Regent may create or forward legislation to be voted upon. All passed legislation must build off and/or strengthen the Brengstklen Charter. Legislation should be created for the good of the alliance, not for political, factional, or personal benefits. Legislation that may be created include: *Declarations of Aggressive War *Declarations of War by optional treaty clauses *Treaty cancellations *Senate seat candidates *Internal regulations *Recruitment Criteria *Impeachment *Sanctions on alliances, teams, or nations *Removal of military targets from ZI lists *Amendments to unprotected Articles Note: Declarations of War to defend an ally with mutual, not optional, defense clauses, is to be considered defensive war, not aggressive. Declarations of Peace and its terms are to be determined by Emperor alone. These cannot be considered legislation, and as such cannot be created or removed by the House of Representatives. B. Passing Legislation To pass legislation, a Representative must put the Legislation to a vocal, non-anonymous vote. All Representatives must give reasoning for their cast vote. All legislation put to vote will have a voting period of three days. During this time, Representatives may discuss with one another about passing or rejecting legislative notions before casting their vote. If passed, the legislation goes to the Emperor for his signature to be put it into law. The Emperor has the power to veto any legislation. The legislation then may still be forced through by an unanimous vote by the House of Representatives. Declarations of War, treaty cancellations, or anything of any nature that may require a quick vote and response may have the voting period shortened from three days by Emperor's command, one day being the minimum. Declarations of Aggressive War or activation of optional defense clauses must be put into motion by the Emperor through Regent. Senate seat candidates may only be recommended. Treaty Cancellations do not have to be put in motion by Emperor and Regent. C. Removal of Legislation To remove legislation, a Representative must put the Legislation to a vocal vote with a set voting period of seven days. If passed, the legislation becomes defunct, and is archived. VI.Elections and Removal A. Election Procedure An anonymous voting poll for the election of Representatives is to be created by the Ministry of Interior Affairs. The Interior Ministry is tasked with raising awareness of the voting session as it is open for a period of seven days. Election Periods: January 25th – January 31st April 25th – May 1st July 25th – July 31st October 25th – October 31st Representative Terms: February 1st – May 1st May 2nd – July 31st August 1st – October 31st November 1st – January 31st Note: The Administrative Board, Emperor, and Regent are not elected positions. B. Removal Procedure The impeachment of a government member may be called for by any alliance member if he has acted wrongly and contradictory to what his office and position calls for. Members must use their own judgement on deciding whether the actions of the government member warrant removal from office. The Minister of Interior Affairs must then try the prosecuted. The impeached will defend himself, and an alliance member must lead the prosecution. The prosecutor will be appointed by the House with the selected member's consent. The impeached and the prosecutor will state their cases and rebut the other's for a period of five days. After the arguments between prosecution and defense are made public for three days, a voting poll open to all alliance members must be created. Removal from office will occur with seventy-five percent votes in favor of removal. VII. Amendments and Additions A. Amendable Articles Articles IA ,IIIA, and IIIB are amendable articles as such positions should be liable to change between administrations. All other Articles are protected unless Founder's Right is activated. B. Passing Amendments The Founder may revise any part of the Charter with majority House approval. Unanimous approval from the House is required if the Founder wishes to exercise his right outside of the first year. For the House of Representatives or an Emperor (that is not also the Founder) to amend an unprotected Article, or create a new one, each must of had a seventy-five percent majority approval of the House with Emperor's signature. The Emperor still has the ability to veto; and the House cannot force amendments through. The voting period must be set at seven days, and may not be shortened or lengthened. ______________ Signed This Day on June 3rd, 2009, 2Burnt2eat, Emperor Wars Treaty Blocs